Hi - New here... learning..

[lavendre]

Hi,
I registered today. 10/15/2004

I'm a Christian trying to heal from damage and I'm looking for support and wanting to support others. Basically I'm afraid of church now. I want to be in a place where I can show love to other Christians and use my God given gifts in the body and I am praying for the right church for me ( and my family).

[Jerry]

Hi,
I registered today. 10/15/2004

I'm a Christian trying to heal from damage and I'm looking for support and wanting to support others. Basically I'm afraid of church now. I want to be in a place where I can show love to other Christians and use my God given gifts in the body and I am praying for the right church for me ( and my family).

Welcome,,,,,,,,,,,,,Read your post 3 times and it occurs to me,,,,,thats what we are all doing here :D
Love Jerry

[ex-shep]

Welcome aboard,

I can certainly empathise with your situation. I have been out of my groups 20 years ago next month.

The challenge for me when my faith system was smashed was learning, over time what God was not as well what God is not. It takes time, so do not feel frustrated if you do not get it right away.

Feel free what is ever on your heart or mind. We have all been, seen it, done that and got the T-shirt. Virtual coffepot is always brewing. Although I am going to turn in before the sun comes up [Work second shift] :)

[Janice]

Welcome Lavendre,
Make yourself at home. Nice to meet you.
Janice

[Oopsie Daisey]

Hi,
I registered today. 10/15/2004

I'm a Christian trying to heal from damage and I'm looking for support and wanting to support others. Basically I'm afraid of church now. I want to be in a place where I can show love to other Christians and use my God given gifts in the body and I am praying for the right church for me ( and my family).

Welcome Lavendre:

Seems as though you are in the right place and like Jerry and Janice, and Ex-shep, I welcome you and so glad to meet you.

Looking forward to getting to know you.

Oopsie Daisey

[Emerging]

Hi Lavendre, and welcome! :) I too finally had to leave a church that kept saying "Don't judge people's outsides" ... yet they did that and more! Ex-shep is right that it takes time to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to how we now (distortedly) view God. ... but as we are coming to know, God is patient and God is kind ... He brought you here, after all, huh?! :)

Again, great to "meet" you and hope to hear more from you. :)

[lavendre]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I like this color thing.

I appreciate your words about God's goodness. They are already helping me.

I'm reading the posts, getting to know the forum.....looks like a warm helpful place to me. :) :)


My story is so long and complicated -- probably like your life stories.

I have healed some from the false ideas about God, but it has been slower than I would like it to be. Thanks for telling me that it takes time - that helped.

The Psalms have taken on new meaning for me. The Lord is using them to show me how my emotions and struggles are normal. Psalms that used to reinforce my fear now bring me comfort.

lavendre

[Jerry]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.
The Psalms have taken on new meaning for me. The Lord is using them to show me how my emotions and struggles are normal. Psalms that used to reinforce my fear now bring me comfort.

lavendre



Dear Lavendre,,
Wow!!!!!,,,,,,,,,See??????,,,,,,,,, :D Your getting better already!!!!!!!
Love Jerry

[Reg]

Also want to give a belated welcome lavendre. :)

I read about a teacher that wanted to emphasis the most important thing about CHANGE. ;)

He took about 10-15 minutes to carefully scroll the words:

G-O S-L-O-W-L-Y Everyone got the message.

With us it's very much the same. It seems it will never get better. But it does. So don't rush. GO SLOWLY.

The emotional trauma we have experienced has been compared to those who have been raped. I plan on buying a book on that called "The Emotional Rape Syndrome" by Michael Fox Phd.

[lavendre]

Also want to give a belated welcome lavendre. :)


Thanks for the belated welcome, Reg and your advise. I like the quote in your signature.

[lavendre]

Dear Lavendre,,
Wow!!!!!,,,,,,,,,See??????,,,,,,,,, :D Your getting better already!!!!!!!
Love Jerry

Thanks Jerry for the enthusiasm about my progress. :) The new way of looking at Psalms happened just this last summer.